Silverton to Durango....

[saltysack]

Looking at options trying to make a fast pack of the CT happen this july....trying to sell my wife on the trip by flying her and my 11 year old into Durango catch train to meet me and silverton...all three hike to Durango on CT...is 5 days sufficient with only 1.5 days to acclimate from sea level for the wife and kid in San Juan mtns? Both in good shape......


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[saltysack]

Oops...I'd be starting about 18 days prior in Denver...


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[DuneElliot]

Do you know the miles? I remember moving to Telluride from Amarillo, TX back when I was in my early 20s and even the short hike up from the ranch house to the barn at 9200ft killed me for the first week or so. If they're fit and used to hiking I'd estimate 10 mpd max

[saltysack]

Do you know the miles? I remember moving to Telluride from Amarillo, TX back when I was in my early 20s and even the short hike up from the ranch house to the barn at 9200ft killed me for the first week or so. If they're fit and used to hiking I'd estimate 10 mpd max

It's about 74 miles....


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[Venchka]

OK, slow down. Let me see if I have this right.
Wife & son fly to Durango.
Wife & son take the train to Silverton. Wife & son cross CT at Elk Creek & Animas River junction.
You meet wife & son in Silverton.
Then what?
Suggestion: The family begins hiking the CT at Little Molas Lake Campground thereby bypassing the lung busting climb up from the river.
https://freecampsites.net/#!17899&query=sitedetails
Wayne

[saltysack]

OK, slow down. Let me see if I have this right.
Wife & son fly to Durango.
Wife & son take the train to Silverton. Wife & son cross CT at Elk Creek & Animas River junction.
You meet wife & son in Silverton.
Then what?
Suggestion: The family begins hiking the CT at Little Molas Lake Campground thereby bypassing the lung busting climb up from the river.
https://freecampsites.net/#!17899&query=sitedetails
Wayne

Yea...I'd hitch in at 550 meet up stay at hotel/hostel then we'd start the final 74 miles of the CT where I left off at 550 near molas lk campground...


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[Venchka]

OK. Good thinking. Like sleeping bags and cold air, everybody is different with acclimation.
I've never had a problem as long as I spent at least one night at a trailhead around 10,000 feet. Hiked slow the first day.
Y'all are young. You'll be fine.
Wayne

[map man]

I hiked from Molas Lake Campground to Durango with a friend not in as good a shape as me (he leads a pretty sedentary lifestyle but he has done a lot of backpacking) in six days in August 2014. You can only cover as much ground per day as your least able member of the threesome (one of whom is only 11 years old) so doing it in five days seems a little aggressive to me.

Of course you have hiked with your family members and I have not.

[Dogwood]

As usual Map Man brings up some good considerations in a level headed concise manner.

You'll be in a different physical and mental place after 18 days than them starting at 10 K. That's many miles for them hiking above 10K and a lot over 11 k. Your'e acclimation will include having been on trail already for 18 days in a different mode when they haven't acclimated to multi day hiking at that elevation yet. MM is absolutely right in pointing out that you can only cover as much ground per day as your least able member in the group.

[StubbleJumper]

That sounds like a really nice way to finish your hike. You might need to carry a bit of extra weight to make it easier for your wife and daughter, and you probably should plan for a full 5 days to hike that final 74 miles because your family will not be in trail-shape. But, it's a nice stretch to hike.

Be sure to send your wife a re-supply list so that she can hit a Safeway in Durango rather than trying to re-supply in the little, expensive store in Durango.

Also, when I stayed at the Prospector Motel in 2011, the owner offered a shuttle back to the trail and charged me "whatever I thought it was worth". If a party of three is trying to get back to Molas Pass from Silverton, it would be a no-brainer to just give the guy $20 to shuttle all three of you back to the trail at the same time.

[StubbleJumper]

As one other after-thought, is the rest of your family into backpacking? If you've taken them on multi-day trips before, that would be good. As I recall, there are not many good places to bail out in the final 74 miles if your wife or kid decide that they hate hiking. Just food for thought.

[saltysack]

I hiked from Molas Lake Campground to Durango with a friend not in as good a shape as me (he leads a pretty sedentary lifestyle but he has done a lot of backpacking) in six days in August 2014. You can only cover as much ground per day as your least able member of the threesome (one of whom is only 11 years old) so doing it in five days seems a little aggressive to me.

Of course you have hiked with your family members and I have not.

Good points.....six days would be ideal..


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[saltysack]

As one other after-thought, is the rest of your family into backpacking? If you've taken them on multi-day trips before, that would be good. As I recall, there are not many good places to bail out in the final 74 miles if your wife or kid decide that they hate hiking. Just food for thought.

My son more so than the wife....he's fine with about 13-14 mpd in NC so probably pushing it trying for more mpd at real elevation....lack of bail out spots is another thing to consider. Thx for the input...


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[Cookerhiker]

I suspect acclimation will be a bigger issue than being in shape to hike 74 miles in 5 days.

[bearcreek]

Another consideration. This part of the trail has some portions which are often very dry. Sometimes hikers are forced to go 25 miles from Straight Creek to Kennebec Pass with a dry camp in there somewhere. You may find water at the beginning of the climb up to Cape of Good Hope, but that is not for certain. (There should be lots of hiker reports by then) Adding to the complexity, you need to time your hike so you do the last 10 miles to Kennebec (Indian Trail Ridge) in the morning. It receives almost daily thunderstorms, and is a magnet for lightning. Timing it perfectly means hiking 15 miles from Straight Creek to the Cape, then an early start the next morning to get across the ridge before the weather gets bad around 1:00 in the afternoon.

[saltysack]

Thx BC...it's looking like it'll be me and the pup....


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